AVALON — Four college students from across the country have been greeting visitors in Avalon and Two Harbors this summer, educating them about conservation on the island and encouraging them to explore and experience Catalina.
They are all members of the Catalina Island Conservancy’s Summer Naturalist program, which brings students to the Island, trains them and then sends them out into the community to help the Avalon and Two Harbors communities reach their visitors with nature knowledge, hands-on activities, interpretive hikes and information about the natural resources of the Island.

“This year’s Summer Naturalists are outstanding college students with a passion for nature and conservation who brought their enthusiasm to Catalina to support the Conservancy’s mission of educating the public and encouraging island visitors to explore and experience the wildlands,” said Ann M. Muscat the Conservancy’s president and CEO. “Each one has a wealth of environmental education experience, and they are providing the Island’s visitors and residents with natural and cultural history interpretation at the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden, Airport in the Sky, Two Harbors and on Crescent Avenue.”

The Summer Naturalists for 2014 are Tanya Camper of San Diego; Kaeli Flaska of Cincinnati, Ohio; Hanna Mogensen of Auburn, Maine, and Bobby Pfeiffer of Hamilton, New Jersey.

The Summer Naturalists began working June 9 with an intensive two-week training course that prepared them for their roles as ambassadors for the Conservancy and Catalina Island. They then went to work on the island, where they were available to the public.